Sudan I, a potentially cancer-causing colorant, has become a target for the State Administration for Quality Supervision and Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) following the disclosure that the red dye has tainted hundreds of food items in Britain.

On Wednesday AQSIQ slapped a ban on imports of any foods containing the substance, and began screening foods from the European Union.

Last Friday, the British Food Standards Agency warned people not to eat foods that have been contaminated with Sudan I, an illegal dye that was banned for use in the United Kingdom and across the European Union.

Sudan I can contribute to an increased risk of cancer, but there is no risk of immediate illness and the health risk generally is likely to be very small, Food Standards Agency Chief Executive Dr. Jon Bell said in a statement appearing on the agency's website.

By Tuesday, the agency had released an updated list of 428 affected food products, ranging from barbecue sauce to pies, including those made by such giants as Heinz and Unilever.

AQSIQ placed an urgent notice and a Chinese version of the list on its website (www.aqsiq.gov.cn) on Wednesday. It also directed local inspectors to check domestic food makers to ensure their products or raw materials are free of the dye.

China has already prohibited the use of Sudan I in edible goods. Food that contains the substance may not be sold or exported.

Unilever, which had nine of its UK-made products included on the affected list, announced on Wednesday that those goods are not made or sold in China.

"Unilever China has also checked all its Chinese suppliers and found their products contain no Sudan I," Wang Hui, a staffer with Unilever in Shanghai, said Wednesday.

On the same day, Heinz, another leading food maker, said none of its five products being recalled in Britain are sold in China, including China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and China's Taiwan Province.

All Heinz companies in China follow Chinese and international quality standards, and comply with the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points requirements, said Wang Lizhi, external affairs manager for Heinz (China) Investment.

(China Daily February 24, 2005)